Famous British Actors a to z

Freema Agyeman is a British film and TV actress known for her starring roles on the series Law & Order: UK and Doctor Who.

Julie Andrews is an Oscar and Tony Award-winning actress and singer famous for her roles in The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins.

Comic actor and writer Rowan Atkinson starred on the TV series Not the Nine O'clock News and Blackadder. He is best known for his infamous role as Mr. Bean in the television series and 1997 feature film of the same name.

Richard Attenborough is an award-winning actor and director known for helming acclaimed works like Gandhi and Cry Freedom.

Christian Bale is an award winning actor who as a child starred in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun, and is also know for his roles in Batman movies.

Actor Sean Bean played the villains in Patriot Games and GoldenEye. More recently, he played Boromir in the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Odysseus in Troy.

Film actor. Kate Beckinsale is an actress whose starring role in the Underworld films catapulted her to international stardom.

Sir Herbert Beerbohm was a stage actor and well-known figure in English theater. He both managed and produced several plays in London including Charles Dickens and Shakespearean classics.

Claire Bloom English is a dramatic actress noted for her moving portrayals of Shakespearean heroines. She also played on stage, television, and in films.

One of Great Britain's leading male actors in the 1950s, Dirk Bogarde is known for his complex roles in the dark films Death in Venice (1912), Victim (1961) and The Night Porter (1974).

Hugh Bonneville is a British actor chiefly known for playing Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, on the hit TV series Downton Abbey.

Kenneth Branagh is an Irish-born English stage and motion-picture actor, director and writer who is best known for his film adaptations of Shakespearean plays.

Comedian Russell Brand is famous for his controversial comments and stunts, past struggles with addiction and his short-lived marriage to singer Katy Perry.

Jeremy Brett was a British actor and singer known for his roles in My Fair Lady and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.

Jim Broadbent is an Academy Award-winning British actor known for his work with Mike Leigh, Woody Allen and Terry Gilliam. His film credits include Topsy-Turvy, Iris and Moulin Rouge!.

Jessica Brown Lindsay is a British actress best known for her role as Lady Sybil Crawley on the hit TV series Downton Abbey.

Richard Burton was a highly regarded Welsh actor of stage and screen. He earned seven Oscar nominations and was married twice to actress Elizabeth Taylor.

Michael Caine is a beloved Oscar-winning actor known for his roles in films like Alfie, Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules.

Laura Carmichael is a British actress known chiefly for playing Lady Edith Crawley on the hit TV series Downton Abbey.

Helena Bonham Carter is a British actress known for her roles in historical dramas, as well as quirkier movies including Fight Club and Dark Shadows. She is married to director Tim Burton.

Henry Cavill is a TV and film actor known for his roles in The Tudors and The Immortals and as Superman in Man of Steel.

Actress Julie Christie won an Academy Award for her role in Darling, and earned a second nomination for her performance in McCabe & Mrs. Miller.

Sam Claflin is a British actor who's starred in big-screen fantasy adventures like Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Snow White and the Huntsman, and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Comedian John Cleese is most famous for his work with the comedy group Monty Python, and for the popular British television series Fawlty Towers.

Sacha Baron Cohen is a British comedian and actor who is widely known for his portrayal of three unorthodox fictional characters: Ali G, Borat and Brüno.

British actress Jenna-Louise Coleman is best known for playing the Doctor's companion, Oswin, on the popular sci-fi BBC program Doctor Who, and for playing bad girl Jasmine Thomas on the British soap Emmerdale.

Olivia Colman is a British actress best known for playing Carol Thatcher, the daughter of Margaret Thatcher, in the 2011 biopic The Iron Lady.

Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane is best known for his roles such as Hagrid the Giant in the Harry Potter series and Mr. Hyde in Van Helsing.

Daniel Craig is an English actor who has played a wide varity of roles but is best known for playing the most recent incarnation of James Bond.

Benedict Cumberbatch is a British screen actor, best known for his role on the BBC television show Sherlock.

Alan Cumming is a Scottish actor known for a range of work, from Shakespeare to Cabaret to X-Men, to the television series The Good Wife.

English actor Tim Curry starred as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the groundbreaking stage (1973) and film (1975) productions of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Timothy Dalton is a versatile stage and film actor. He succeeded Roger Moore in the James Bond franchise in the 1980s and played Prince Barin in Flash Gordon.

Roger Daltrey is a rock musician and singer who’s the former lead vocalist of The Who. He’s also a film and TV actor.

Thomas Arthur Darvill is a British actor and musician, best known for his role as Rory Williams, the Eleventh Doctor's companion in the popular sci-fi program Doctor Who.

David Suchet is a British actor who became known to international audiences as Agatha Christie's detective Hercule Poirot.

British comedian Richard Dawson is best known for his role as Corporal Newkirk in the World War II sitcom Hogan's Heroes and as the host of Family Feud.

Academy Award-winning English actor Daniel Day-Lewis is known for going to extreme lengths to prepare for a role. He has starred in several films, including Sunday, Bloody Sunday; My Beautiful Laundrette; My Left Foot; and Lincoln.

Dame Judi Dench is an Academy Award-winning British actress. She won an Oscar for her role as Queen Elizabeth in Shakespeare in Love.

Michelle Dockery is a British actress best known for playing Lady Mary Crawley on the hit show Downton Abbey.

British actress Minnie Driver made her film debut in Circle of Friends, followed by roles in Grosse Pointe Blank and Good Will Hunting.

British-born Christopher Eccleston is best known as the ninth actor to play the lead role in the popular U.K. science-fiction television program Doctor Who.

Samantha Eggar is a British film and television actress. She recently performed as Hera in the Disney film Hercules.

Rupert Everett is a British actor known for roles in the films My Best Friend’s Wedding, Shakespeare in Love and a Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Ralph Fiennes is a British film actor best known for his performances in Schindler's List, The English Patient and The Constant Gardener.

Albert Finney is an Oscar-nominated English actor known for playing Audrey Hepburn's love interest in Two for the Road and the title role in the musical version of A Christmas Carol, among several other roles.

Martin Freeman is known for his role on the British television series The Office, and for his performance in 2012's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Playwright Christopher Fry wrote a series of major plays in free verse, with undertones of religion and mysticism, including A Phoenix Too Frequent (1946).

Irish actor Michael Gambon is best known for his role as Albus Dumbledore in five of the seven J.K. Rowling Harry Potter films. Prior to his role as Dumbledore, Gambon was known as one of the leading thespians of his generation.

Ricky Gervais is a British comedian best known for co-writing and co-directing the television series The Office.

British singer Andy Gibb released the popular album Shadow Dancing and was the youngest brother of the sibling singing group the Bee Gees.

John Gielgud was a prolific Shakespearean actor known for his varied film and TV work as well, including Arthur and Prospero’s Books.

Actor Cary Grant performed in films from the 1930s through the 1960s. He starred in several Hitchcock films, including the 1959 hit North by Northwest.

Hugh Grant is a Golden Globe Award-winning British actor who starred in Four Weddings and a Funeral and the film adaptation of Bridget Jones's Diary.

British film and theater actor Rupert Graves starred in the period films A Room with a View and Maurice, and the plays The Iceman Cometh and Closer.

The heavy set British actor Sydney Greenstreet made a name for himself as a character actor, taking on villainous, scheming roles, such as Kasper Gutman in The Maltese Falcon.

Rupert Grint is a British actor best known for his role as Harry Potter's best friend Ronald "Ron" Weasley in the film series based on J.K. Rowling's bestselling books.

Ioan Gruffudd is a Welsh actor best known for playing Horatio Hornblower in the Emmy Award-winning A&E miniseries.

Alec Guinness is an Oscar-winning British actor known for his roles in films like Lawrence of Arabia, Dr. Zhivago and Star Wars.

British actor Edmund Gwenn's claim to fame was his unforgettable role as Santa Claus in the classic Miracle on 34th Street.

Scottish actor John Hannah played a supporting role opposite Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell in Four Weddings and a Funeral and was also in Sliding Doors.

Jared Harris is a prolific British actor known for his role on the TV series Mad Men, and his performances in the films Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Lincoln.

Naomie Harris is a British actress best known for her roles in 28 Days Later, After the Sunset, the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, and Skyfall (2012).

Rex Harrison was a Tony- and an Oscar-winning English actor known for his film and stage performances. His most famous role is that of Henry Higgins in the film musical My Fair Lady.

Benny Hill, the British comedian, is best known for his long running comedy series that would play in 109 countries.

Ian Holm is best known for playing Bilbo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy. He also had notable parts in Alien, The Fifth Element and The Sweet Hereafter.

A in-demand fashion model, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has appeared in top magazines, countless ad campaigns and 2011's Transformers: Dark of the Moon movie.

Theater, film and television actor Jeremy Irons starred in the popular movies Reversal of Fortune, The Lion King, Lolita, Being Julia and The Fourth Angel.

Glenda Jackson is best known for her Academy Award winning roles in Women in Love and A Touch of Class.

Actor Aaron Johnson has appeared in such films as Kick-Ass, Nowhere Boy, Savages and Anna Karenina.

Davy Jones was a singer and actor who found fame as a member of the pop group the Monkees, on the television show of the same name.

Boris Karloff was an English-born actor whose name became synonymous with horror movies.

William Kempe was one of the most famous clowns of the Elizabethan era and originated some of Shakespeare's comedic characters.

Deborah Kerr was a Scottish actress known for the poise and serenity she exhibited in portraying complex, prim characters.

Ben Kingsley is an Academy Award-winning actor known for his work in films like Gandhi, Bugsy and Schindler’s List.

Alex Kingston is a British actress best known internationally for her role as Dr. Elizabeth Corday on the American hit TV show ER, and for playing the title role in the 1996 U.K. miniseries The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders.

Keira Knightley is a British actress who had her first major role in Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace and became well-known for her role in Bend It Like Beckham.

Actor and playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah was introduced to U.K. households in 1999 as paramedic Finlay Newton on the BBC hospital drama Casualty.

Dame Cleo Laine was a Grammy Award-winning British jazz vocalist as well as a stage actress. She was known as the "Queen of Jazz" in her singing prime.

Laurence Olivier was one of the most acclaimed actors of the 20th century, known for his numerous Shakespeare roles on stage and screen as well as memorable turns in more modern classics.

Hugh Laurie's portrayal of Dr. Gregory on the TV show House made him famous in the United States. For years prior, the comedian was making sitcoms in the United Kingdom.

directed British actor Jude Law received an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Cold Mountain. He also played "Gigolo Joe" in Steven Spielberg's film A.I.

Actor Peter Lawford ran with the Rat Pack, married a Kennedy, and was the last person to speak to Marilyn Monroe. He also made movies now and then.